After securing its second consecutive Big West title on Saturday, UC San Diego women’s basketball (24-8, 17-3 Big West) earned another berth in the Big Dance. On Selection Sunday, the Tritons were drawn as a 14-seed. They are set to face No. 3 seed TCU (29-5, 15-3 Big 12) on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.
“They’re a really, really tough team, and it’s a really exciting matchup,” junior center Erin Condron said in a press conference after Selection Sunday. “We’ll watch a bit — we’ll watch more [film of TCU] this week, but yeah, really excited.”
The Tritons are in the midst of their best season since transitioning to Division I in 2020. UCSD has gone 24-8 and captured both the Big West regular-season and championship titles. As a result, the Tritons were picked as a 14-seed. Last year, they were selected as a 16-seed; UCSD fell to Southern in the first round.
“I think that we earned respect [this season],” head coach Heidi VanDerveer said. “Last year, we were just happy to be there. So, I think this will be a totally different experience for the young women on our team. I think they’ll enjoy it. It’ll be an experience that they can remember for a lifetime, and it’s great to do it with people that you really care about.”
The Tritons have a tough task ahead. The Horned Frogs made the Elite Eight in last year’s tournament, where they fell to Texas. This season, TCU spent the entire year ranked in the AP Top 25 poll and finished as Big 12 regular-season champions. If the Tritons defeat the Horned Frogs, they will become the first 14-seed in tournament history to make it past the round of 64.